Wesley Update

April 3rd, 2024

Pastor's Corner

He is Risen Indeed!

I absolutely love Holy Week because it lets us experience the wholeness of our faith. From the joy of Palm Sunday to the grief and anguish of Good Friday, Holy Week forces us to see our whole faith, not just the highs or the lows.

And at the end of the day, that's life. Highs and lows, mountains and valleys. Our faith doesn't promise that everyday will be the jubilation of Palm Sunday nor does it say the darkness of Good Friday will last forever. Easter Morning will come, the stone will be rolled away, the tomb will be found empty!

During my Easter Sermon, I spoke about how resurrection is not just a return to the way things used to be. Rather, resurrection is about a new way forward, an invitation to what will be! A better future, a better world, a better life. Our faith lets us hope in a world where one day sickness doesn't ravage the bodies and minds of loved ones. A world where car accidents don't tear families apart. A world where all people live at peace with one another, equal in standing before God.

I love Holy Week because it acknowledges our life, warts and roses alike, and then tells us of a hope that one day everything will be made new!

Dr. Vincent Harris, my District Superintendent, preaching at St. James UMC on Palm Sunday

This Holy Week I got the chance to worship at a bunch of different churches, all over the area.

Palm Sunday: St. James UMC and St. Mark's Episcopal

Maundy Thursday: Trinity UMC

Good Friday: First UMC Beaumont

Joint Sunrise Easter Service: Salem UMC, Wesley UMC, and First UMC in Orange

Easter Sunday: First UMC Orange (where I got the opportunity to fill-in for Pastor Lani!)

Thank you to every one of these churches that invited us to be a part of your Holy Week and if you, your church, your Sunday School class, or whoever, wants me to come out and speak, please let me know!

Truly one of the joys of this job is getting to be a part of so many communities and feel the love and support from each of them. It's amazing to experience how folks worship during Holy Week!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kyle Tremblay

Braving the mosquito swarm, members of different churches all over Orange, gather to worship at the break of dawn on Easter Morning!

Mark your calendars, we've got an amazing way to hear directly from students the impact that Lamar Wesley is having and support our mission! We have a goal of raising $10,000 and we can't do it without you!

Ministry Updates

Cardinal Pantry and Closet

March is over and another incredible month of serving folks at the Cardinal Pantry!

This Week: 146

March Total: 399

In addition to our food, we opened the Cardinal Closet this month so students can have clothes for winter, interviews, and simply going about life.

In just the 2 weeks of being open in March, we gave away 175 pieces of clothing! More and more folks are learning about the Closet so we hope to continue this amazing trend.

We are only able to operate as we are through the support of community members like these two, so a gigantic thank you and please donate if you are able to help as well!

Donate to our Food Pantry!

Lunch and Worship

Thank you to Salem UMC in Orange for bringing a wonderful meal this past week! This is Salem's second time bringing a meal this semester and we truly appreciate the care y'all have for our students!

If you or your church is interested in providing a meal, please give us a call or email!

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers!

Interested in providing a meal? Send us an email!

Consider Becoming a Monthly Donor

Our mission is to serve the students of Lamar and help them see God at work in their lives.

Your gifts help make this mission possible.

By becoming a monthly donor of as little as $10/month, you can provide 3 scholarships that send students to UM ARMY.

Donate Today

Circuit Rider

Each week Pastor Kyle visits a different church to preach, to teach Sunday School classes, and just to worship alongside people.

I'm a bit of weirdo because maybe my favorite service during Holy Week is Good Friday. It doesn't have the flair of Palm Sunday, the community of Maundy Thursday, or the joy and excitement and hope of Easter and I think that's why I love it. Good Friday tells us it's okay to grieve, to feel our emotions, to be confused by the "now and not yet"-ness of our faith.

For Good Friday, First UMC Beaumont asked us to be a part of their service and we got the privilege (?) to read the bit where Pilate sentences Jesus. I was not about to make my student who came with me be Pilate, so I took that role.

There's something harrowing about standing at the front of a congregation and hearing them shout "Crucify Him!" at you, especially when you are playing the part of Pilate!

As I looked on the cross, draped in black, the altar stripped of the life it once held, I felt a sense of peace. Odd I know, but stay with me. Peace in the knowing that God knows the despair I feel. God knows the feeling of hopelessness that overwhelms. God knows and God walks with me throughout it all.

Draping the cross in black after the Stripping of the Altar on Good Friday

Want Pastor Kyle to speak to your Sunday School class? Send us an email!

Father James Peevehouse preaching at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Palm Sunday

Pastor Nathan Hodge preaching at Trinity UMC on Maundy Thursday

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